Twin Suns Burning
by rgm0005
Summary: The First Age has passed and been forgotten. The Second Age seems little more than a myth. Now, it is the Third Age, the Age of Shinobi, but even it's end draws quickly near. For now, the prison is open. The world shakes, fate moves, and heroes are born. Amidst victories and defeats, this is known; that the sun may fall, but also rises. Naruto/Exalted.
1. Prologue

**Twin Suns Burning**

Sasuke wanted to run. He wanted to scream and cry and go to sleep and hopefully when he woke up, his mother would walk in and tell him this had all just been a dream. He wanted that to happen; he wanted to wake up, he wanted this to be a nightmare, or a lie, or even some horribly cruel genjutsu.

But more than anything, right now, he wanted to kill Itachi.

As he ran after his Brother, a part of him knew it was all but hopeless. He'd long since accepted that his brother was better than him—and everyone else—at just about everything. More than that, Itachi had just done something he'd thought impossible and beaten the entire Uchiha clan. He'd always thought of his brother as unstoppable, unbeatable, and untouchable and tonight had done little to change that view.

He knew what he was doing was foolish.

He knew what he was doing might even have been suicide.

He didn't care. Because he knew other things, too; He knew that when he came home, Teyaki-ojisan had been screaming and clutching at the bleeding stump of his missing leg. He knew Uruchi-obasan had been crying, and screaming, and crawling on the ground towards her fallen husband. That Tekka and Yashiro and Inabi had been right all along and how they'd been shouting that, half-mad, as they'd curled up over missing or useless limbs. He knew that dozens of people he'd known all his life, grown up with or under or around had all been lying on the ground, unconscious or screaming, but all defeated. He knew that when he'd scrambled, shouting for help from the neighbors, that no one had answered, and how the strange men in masks—ANBU like his brother had been—had come to help his family, bandaging or tending to wounds, and yet not one had gone to find the source of the attack.

He knew that they had held him back when his brother had walked out of their house, ANBU armor smeared with blood, and how he'd been so relieved to see that at least his brother was okay—how he'd been so certain that the danger had passed, because of course Itachi had dealt with it. How he'd been so confused when his brother had marched right passed him, stone-faced and silent as he asked what had happened. And how he'd learned what dawning comprehension felt like when his still conscious relatives had seen Itachi and had started to shout bloody murder and accusation, even as the unconscious bodies of his parents were carried out by a set of ANBU.

He knew all that, and compared to it, the facts about Itachi just didn't seem to matter. He had to see his brother, had to know why he'd done this, had to know what was really going on, had to—

And yet, when he finally caught up with his brother as he moved through the disturbingly empty streets of Konoha and his brother looked at him with eyes cold as steel and sharp as daggers…suddenly, he wasn't sure what to say.

"Sasuke." His Brother said, voice calm and casual and suddenly more infuriating then anything Sasuke had ever heard. His Brother was standing there, covered in their family's blood, acting like he hadn't turned upon him and their family and ruined their lives and that nothing was wrong—

Sasuke suddenly realized he was starting to hyperventilate, but he didn't feel scared anymore. No, he just felt tremendously, unspeakably pissed off.

"Itachi!" He shouted, glad he hadn't forgotten himself and called him brother. "H-how could you!? Everyone…they said they would be crippled for life, Itachi!"

"Yes," His Brother nodded in agreement, voice tight with some emotion, but not with shame.

"Why!?" Sasuke demanded, proud that the plea he felt hadn't wormed its way into his voice. "Why would you do this!? To father and mother…to our family! What the hell are you doing, Itachi!?"

For a moment, as Itachi opened his mouth, Sasuke thought it would be that simple. That Itachi would explain everything and there would be some reason behind it that would clear everything up and make things better—that part of him that still couldn't accept that his brother had done this wanted to believe that.

But Itachi just closed his mouth and shook his head slightly.

"Itachi-san?" A voice suddenly startled Sasuke, who shifted his gaze to the rooftops. Another ANBU, just one of the many he'd seen today, stood perched atop one of the houses. "It's almost time."

"I know," His brother replied, turning. "Go home, Sasuke."

For a minute, he just stared at his brother's back, disbelieving.

And then he saw red.

"Itachi!" He cried as he leapt at his brother.

This was where his plan ended. He had no idea how to defeat his brother and no real chance of doing so either, but he didn't care. He just took a leap and hoped for a miracle.

Predictably, it didn't happen. Itachi turned around, blindingly fast, and punched him in the stomach so hard that for a moment, Sasuke thought he'd been struck by the hammer of some angry god, and he went flying.

He must have blacked out, too, because the next thing he knew he was alone in the street and his cheek was hurting from lying too long on the hard ground. His stomach hurt worse, though, throbbing painfully like a second heart. He thought about getting up and realized he didn't want to. He wanted to dig a hole, crawl in it, and stay there until he died.

He got up anyway, leaned against a wall he didn't remember impacting, put his head in his hands, and cried in frustration, grief, and pain. His clan was crippled. His brother had betrayed him. And he…was pathetic.

He cried until his eyes hurt and his sobs were distorted by the clogging of his nose and he was sure he looked as pitiful and ugly as he felt, which, naturally, was when he heard footsteps. Because the only way to make what was already the worst day of his life even worse was for someone to point and laugh at his day.

It didn't matter; at this point he didn't even _care_ anymore. He only even lifted his head to throw a weak glare at whoever was about to interrupt is misery.

Only to freeze in shock at what his eyes landed on. A woman turned the corner and headed straight for him, but she was different from any woman he'd ever seen. Light purple skin devoid of any hair, eyes that were pools of dark blue devoid of either pupils or whites, and clothing that seemed to exist, where it was present at all, entirely of metal.

She might have been pretty, if she weren't so strange looking.

The woman smile as she knelt beside him, brushing the tears from one eye with a thumb before bringing it to her mouth and licking it.

"Poor boy," She sighed, turning to lean against the same wall as him. "Life is cruel, especially to those that don't deserve it. But how can you expect justice from a world that turned upon its own makers?"

The question was probably rhetorical, but Sasuke still didn't understand it.

"W-what?"

The woman gently reached up to ruffle his hair, understanding expression never fading.

"You were hurt," She said matter-of-factly. "Betrayed and beaten and humiliated."

She smiled a bit ruefully as he nodded, dumbfounded.

"You're not alone. You're not the only one who feels that way. The very architects of the cosmos know the same pain. They have been unjustly overthrown, cast out, imprisoned, and mutilated. For thousands of years, they have been held captive and in pain. They need a hero to save them. To bring down the rule of the cruel beings that rule over this world as gods and yet care nothing for the people over which they lord their power. To castigate a world steeped in corruption." The women looked at him and tilted her head. "Will you help them?"

"M-me!?" Sasuke drew away in surprise, completely baffled by this whole conversation. "What can I do? I'm…I'm so…weak…I can't even help my own family."

The lady chuckled and ruffled his hair again. When next she spoke, it was with a voice that did not seem entirely her own.

"Do not worry, child. I said before, didn't I? You are not alone. We cannot act, but we can give you power that would make the bickering gods that ruin this world quail in terror. We can't free ourselves, but we can guide you on the path to setting us free. We cannot reach beyond the boundaries of our prison, but we can give you the strength to brush the stars from the Heavens and make armies free before you." She paused for a moment, lifting his chin so that their eyes met. "We cannot save the ones you love, but we can give you the power to do it yourself. So please, help us, and in return, you shall be Exalted above all other men."

Sasuke liked his lips, eyes darting about, trying to think—but he was sold and he knew it. He didn't understand what she was saying, didn't know what was going on, but it didn't matter—if she would give him the strength to save his clan, he would do anything.

"Yes," He said, nodding breathlessly. "I'll do it. I-I'll do whatever you want. Just—"

"Shhh," She said softly, smiling. "I know."

She kissed him on the forehead and exhaled slowly.

"Thank you."

And then, she exploded before his eyes, unraveling and coming apart in a horrible web of power and viscera and Sasuke's heart leapt in terror and he opened his mouth to scream, but it closed around him before he could make a sound.

**XxXXxX**

Itachi stalked through the ANBU Headquarters, his anger obvious.

Or, at least, he thought it should be obvious. A number of his fellow ANBU, namely those that had not been on duty at the Uchiha compound earlier today, had greeted him casually as if nothing were wrong and hadn't seemed to get the hint even after he'd stopped to stare at them hard. True, he was good at hiding his emotions, but anyone in ANBU really should have picked up on it. He'd have to speak with their trainers at some point, but tonight, all he wanted to do was sleep.

"Well, someone's in a bad mood," A familiar voice stopped him, shattering his hopes.

Kakashi's voice had a tendency to do that.

Itachi turned towards the Copy-nin, a small part of him wondering if he would be able to scare the man off. Considering the events of the day, it probably wouldn't be too hard to convince anyone he'd snapped, and being able to sleep now might be worth the psych evaluation later, especially since he was fairly sure one would be heading his way soon anyway, considering what he'd just had to do.

But Kakashi was the king of making excuses; he probably wouldn't be fooled.

So instead, Itachi took a deep, calming breath, exhaled slowly, and nodded in greeting towards the man.

"Kakashi," He acknowledged. "What is it?"

Kakashi smiled at him beneath his mask and casually knocked on the door beside him.

"Do you have a moment, Itachi-kun?"

When Kakashi pulled you aside and asked to speak to you in private, it was always important news. It was also, however, pretty much always _bad_ news, so Itachi had to stop himself from glaring at the man; childish or not, he just wanted this day to be over already.

But Itachi was one of the best, so he put his feelings aside and opened the door to his office. ANBU Commanders were expected to have access to information that couldn't be risked by leaving it at their homes, which is why they were given offices to store such things and work on them in a place they could be reasonably sure was private. Itachi cast a longing look at the door that led to his private quarters and the bed there in before taking a seat at his desk and looking at his visitor.

"Danzo won't let this go easily, you realize," Kakashi began without preamble, leaning against the door. "Orders from Sarutobi-sama or not. He won't tolerate the Uchiha's survival now that he deems them a threat to the village."

Itachi had to keep himself from clinching his fists at the name.

"What I did was the best course of action for Konoha. While the current leaders of the clan may be a lost cause—"

"Those that follow can still be taught, yes, yes. I'm not here to disagree with your reasons, Itachi; I've backed you up from the beginning and even Sarutobi agrees. No one wants to lose the Sharingan entirely and its complete extermination from Konoha's ranks would be sign of weakness to all the other Villages, especially after the Hyuuga incident. If they're watched over, then in a few decades, peaceful negotiations might be more reasonable and hopefully we can keep things from getting to the other villages for that long."

"With the Uchiha clan primarily staying in Konoha as the police force, most countries haven't seen any Uchiha since the War. It won't be any different than what they've been dealing with, so long as we can keep word from spreading. With the Rebellion stopped, we might even be able to proceed to negotiations quickly, especially if Jiraiya-sama manages to find Tsunade-sama. The return of their physical ability would be a powerful weapon, especially given my families pride in their capabilities. It should not be a problem." Itachi said, before something cold and heavy settled in his stomach as a possibilities occurred to him. "No. He wouldn't; Hokage-sama forbid it."

"Danzo does a lot of stuff Sarutobi forbids and gets away with it thanks to that personal army of his." Kakashi pointed out. "Nobody wants a civil war in Konoha; that's just asking for an invasion."

"But to directly go against orders from Hokage-sama…" Itachi said, calming himself. "You're right; nobody wants a Civil War—especially not Danzo. He wouldn't antagonize the Uchiha clan, especially while the option of them being healed and rejoining our forces remains."

"You sure about that?" The Copy-nin asked mildly. Itachi suddenly remembered why he hated having meetings like this with Kakashi.

"What happened?" He demand, envisioning attacks at the hospitals and dead Uchiha.

Kakashi paused dramatically for a moment, just to antagonize him, Itachi was sure.

"I heard a rumor." He said.

Itachi blinked.

"Oh." He said, a part of him relieved. But then, he paused, mulling it over; Kakashi wouldn't have come here over something minor. Slowly, that horrible possibility began to grow inside his mind and he narrowed his eyes at Kakashi, gaze searching. "…What kind of rumor?"

"A funny one; apparently the Uchiha clan were contemplating a rebellion of sorts and the ANBU were sent to deal with the matter. I kind of had to laugh because, if I remember correct, everything that happened tonight was a secret."

Itachi had to smother a growl that threatened to crawl out.

"Danzo…" He murmured dangerously.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous; I'm sure once we trace the rumors to their source it'll just be some drunk agent who, of course, would gladly give his life as repayment." Kakashi replied sardonically. "This will all just be a huge mistake that'll never happen again."

Itachi paused, frowning.

"Would Hokage-sama accept that?"

"He won't want too, but at this point he might have too. Whether we like it or not, losing Root—and however many ninja would die taking root apart—in addition to the Uchiha clan isn't feasible at this point, especially since Danzo keeps Root's membership a closely guarded secret. Treachery or not, Danzo will almost certainly survive this, if only because he's too expensive to kill. Worse than that…"

"Everyone will focus on Root, now," Itachi realized. "We can't afford to let them operate completely in the shadows any more, now that Danzo has challenged the Hokage. Every ANBU will be dedicated to finding out as much about them as possible."

"Every ANBU? Try every loyal ninja, period." Kakashi snorted. "I'm sure the Third will be calling us all in any minute now."

Itachi's mind raced. His gamble to keep the Uchiha clan alive had been risky—he'd known that from the beginning—but the potential rewards had been too much for Konoha to pass up. Everyone knew the power of the Sharingan and the Uchiha had served as one of the last lines of defense in Konoha for nearly a century. Konoha was loathe to give up either it's police force or one of its most valuable bloodlines, so he was sure that if he put the Uchiha in a position of weakness negotiations would continue. Surely his father would see reason after being defeated…

But that all relied on a key strategy. Don't antagonize the defeated. His father could be humbled, but if he saw his family outcast and attacked by the people of Konoha, he would get angry—especially if Sasuke or his wife were targeted. Even if he didn't have a chance, his father was too hot-headed to stand by and let Konoha abuse his wife and son.

And they would. The brand of traitor was a cruel one indeed in the world of shinobi, where a traitor within was the most dangerous enemy. In a day, word would have spread throughout the village and every Uchiha would be considered no more than scum. With their ability to serve as active shinobi removed on top of that…the power of the Uchiha clan would evaporate overnight. And when their enemies throughout the village heard…

Worse, with the threat of an unseen, unknown enemy—not a distasteful ally anymore, but an actual _enemy_—within the village nobody would have time to do anything about it. The Uchiha were a huge potential benefit for the village—in years or decades perhaps. But the looming threat of a Civil War against someone they couldn't even _find_ was more important than the now crippled and soon-to-be hated Uchiha, a hundred times over. After all, the Uchiha could always just be killed off if they tried anything, as was the original plan. Now that he'd crippled them all, it wouldn't even be all that hard.

It irked Itachi—his plan, his sacrifices, all his hard work, ruined by a single _word_ from Danzo. They'd underestimated Danzo and Root, secure in their knowledge that they would never outright move against the word of the Hokage, and it would be his brother who would pay for it.

_Forgive me, Sasuke._

**XxXXxX**

"How long will he be in there?" One of the men asked, sliding a hand over the smooth surface of what looked like an enormous Amethyst. The crystals surface distorted everything within it oddly, leaving only a strange blur of the person held within, which was getting harder to see by the second. A day ago, it had been all but clear, and what they had seen left more than a little cause for worry. "They'll come looking for him, soon."

A fan on the back of his shirt—the mark of the Uchiha clan. Takuya tried not to let that worry him.

"The Uchiha clan has bigger things to worry about right now," He said, having checked on them personally. Konoha's medic-nin were skilled, but with a clan full of people injured, healing would take some time. According to a contact of his in the hospital, dozens had lost limbs and a lot of blood, with several suffering even greater injuries, and many had reacted angrily to their situation and needed to be put under for a while in order to treat them at all. Nearly five days had passed and there were still people in the Hospital—though, he supposed, the fact that after only five days, dozens of people with ruined limbs had been allowed out said a lot about the medical ninja's skills.

Or at least how over worked this situation had them.

"Most of them will probably just think he was hospitalized as well," He continued. "And if they notice, so what? The Uchiha clan has fallen on hard times. What are they going to do, now that they've been branded as traitors?"

"Come looking for us?" Gorou suggested. "Fugaku may have lost an arm, but I doubt he'd have much trouble killing us all with just one. Not to mention the rest of the clan. We basically kidnapped the clan heir, Takuya; you think the Uchiha will react any better to that then the Hyuuga?"

"No one saw us," He said, with the firm conviction of someone who hoped with every fiber of his being that it was true. "And all we need to do is keep him hidden a little while longer. I don't know when he entered the Chrysalis, but we found him when? Like one in the morning or something? That's in only about two hours; he should hatch by then at the latest. They said five days, right?"

He was being rhetorical. He'd spent every minute of the last five days counting down the seconds, half-expecting a squad of angry ninja who had recently lost everything and wanted to take it on him and, later, his mutilated corpse, to burst through the door at any moment.

"You should be honored," Mao told Gorou sharply, speaking up from her seat by the Chrysalis. "We were chosen to watch over our new Prince."

Gorou snorted.

"Whatever. I just wish he'd go and bloom into a beautiful little butterfly or whatever and get this over with."

As if in response to his insult, the room was lit up by a vile green light, shining out of the Chrysalis like a lantern. As it did, it illuminated a network of hair thin cracks upon its polished surface, growing quickly to cover it entirely.

Takuya had a brief moment to realize what was going on before it exploded in a flash of green light.

The crystal was reduced to nothing but dust in an instant, which was probably the only reason they survived as it covered the room. Takuya closed his eyes as the dust peppered his face, stinging somewhat, but doing little more.

When he opened them again, the first thing he saw was Green. The prince they had guarded rose to his feet nimbly, burning like a sun with his own radiance, a pair of bronze swords crossed upon his brow. Takuya had never spoken to the boy, but he had seen him running around town before, and for a moment, he though the being he was looking at was someone else. Though he knew he was just a child, for just a second, in that green light, he was huge and powerful, his features twisting with nightmarish imagery—of blood-stained claws and teeth, unholy light and flames, and the terrible, merciless wrath of an angry demon. His throat clinched as he opened his mouth to speak, to try and explain, and a weight settled uncomfortably over him, and he was left unsure if his mind was playing tricks on him or if that fell light was actually pushing him down.

For a moment.

And then the light receded and the mark vanished as if it had never been there at all, and all that was left in its place was a small, cold-looking boy.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked, trembling slightly from uncertainty and the cold in equal measure.

While Takuya was still thinking of how to reply, Mao fell to her knees immediately, the fanatically light in her eyes as bright as ever.

"Uchiha-sama, we were sent here to aid you in any way we can. We were guided to you and found you in the streets while you slumbered and brought you here to keep you safe."

Sasuke looked at them silently for a moment, before tilting his head, as if listening to something. After a moment, he nodded in understanding, though of what, Takuya wasn't sure.

"Thank you for all your hard work," He said politely, almost smiling, but stopping short, looking a bit unsure. "It's been…five days!?"

It sounded like an honest question, though it didn't appear to be directed at any of them. Takuya nodded nonetheless.

"Did anything happen while I was asleep?" Sasuke asked, expression concerned. "What happened to my family?"

Takuya and Mao looked at each other, not sure what to say to that, while Gorou snorted. At least, Takuya thought, he was smart enough to keep silent in the Prince's presence.

"We're not completely sure on the details, Uchiha-sama," Takuya said finally. "But most of your family members have been released back to their homes, at least until the people that are in critical condition have finished healing and the rest can be called back for further checkups. We can tell you what we know as we escort you back home, if you would like."

Sasuke nodded quickly, eager to make sure his family is okay, and was already moving towards the door when Gorou coughed loudly, drawing their attention.

"Excuse me, sir," He said, as polite as Takuya thought him capable of, which wasn't very. "And forgive my interruption, but don't the bosses have something for you to do?"

"Gorou!" Takuya hissed, moving towards him, only to be halted as Sasuke raised his hand.

"It's fine," He said. "He is right, after all. However…"

Sasuke looked at Gorou for a moment before turning back to the door.

"What the…bosses have told me to do involves the Uchiha clan. As such, it is important that I speak to my father quickly, before it's too late and he does something rash. Understand?"

After a moment, Gorou rose.

"Yes, sir; let's get you home, then."

**XxXXxX**

Sasuke walked through the darkened streets, disoriented and trying not to show it. His escorts followed just a few steps behind and he knew it was improper for an Exalt to show such weakness.

For an Uchiha, he corrected himself. His father had told him to be strong, as a member of the Uchiha clan—no one had ever told him of how an Exalt should behave.

Except they had, hadn't they? Or else, he wouldn't have these memories crammed into his head until it almost seemed ready to burst. He knew of how he was supposed to hold himself, how he was supposed to walk, how he was supposed to speak, as a Solar before his people.

But he was not a Solar; Sasuke was sure of that. And these were not his people, to rule over as a king.

_Not yet_, He thought, the thought rising in his head like the whisper of a seductive voice in his ear and he wondered if it was his own, the voice of a man long dead, or someone else.

He could not say who his mind belonged to anymore. He remembered everything, clear as day; Uchiha Sasuke, running through these streets, eating the lunch his mother made him at the Academy. He remember her scolding him and comforting him and holding him and telling him his father talked only about him when they were alone, just like he remembered his gruff father, who had loved Itachi, who had always thought Itachi was better than him in every way and had always been right and who still had loved him, and called him son, had been his father. He remembered his family, large as it was, a hundred strong, and ringing out clear in his mind was what Itachi had done to them all.

He remembered those memories clearly—and clung to them like he was a man adrift at sea and they were all that was keeping him afloat. Because perhaps they were, for he could remember other things as well. He had to cling to his thoughts, the years of _his_ life in his memories, or else he knew he would be dragged under by the millennia before which they were nothing. He couldn't think of golden ages or unbelievable wars or how things had fallen apart in the end. He couldn't think of gods, of the Sun who had lifted him up from the dirt or who had trusted him in battle or of friends who had died or of leading armies and clashing with titans.

He had to remember running around playgrounds, not around alien landscapes, through them, towards the world-shakers when by all logic he should run away and hide, like he'd done so often years before. He had to remember the faces of schoolyard crushes, not the beauty of his first love's eyes, or the birth of their son, or how they had died but he had not and how then there had been others, again and again, loves, hates, families, children, and so many funerals, for people he'd known and loved and killed and led. He clung to his mother's face, so he didn't think of a woman with the moon on her brow, who had always been there, until she hadn't. Of his father by birth, not the man who'd been like one, burning like the sun, wise and noble and still kind, always there until he wasn't. His clan, not the advisors whose eyes were like the stars and constellations or the soldiers that had been like forces of nature, advising, serving, and loyal until they weren't.

He was Uchiha Sasuke, a child who needed to cling to the memories of his life and needed to faces and those people, not the man who could do anything without any help, until he couldn't, until he'd needed them, until they weren't there.

So he opened his eyes, taking deep, steadying breaths as the tide receded, even though it was still there in his mind and always would be, and knew he couldn't afford to admit to himself that he was happy about that—happy to remember being strong, being loved, being admired—or he was going to lose himself in those thoughts and tragedies and wonders and people he'd loved and lost and left behind.

He walked through the gates of the Uchiha compound, as much the captain of his own soul as he could be, and walked towards his house.

"Stay here," He said behind him as he stepped over the threshold. "It'll make things more complicated if you're there as well."

He entered his house quietly, removing his shoes, and followed the voices. He hadn't met anyone on the way here and few of the houses had lights on. Sasuke couldn't say he was particularly surprised by that, either; no doubt the clan was meeting right now.

He didn't even need to get close enough to listen to figure out what about.

He stopped outside the door anyway, however, deciding to wait and listen for now.

"—Can't believe this! The villagers won't even sell us food anymore!"

"So that's their plan then? To cripple us, lock us in here, and make us die slowly!?"

"Are you really surprised, Etsuko? You heard what those nurses said! They were considering throwing us out in the streets!"

"Hell, they all but did that! Kenji couldn't even walk when they pushed him out of the hospital to 'make room for more critically injured patients.' Naoki had to carry him home with one arm!"

"Quiet!" His father's voice commanded, silencing them all. "I know better than anyone what they are doing! Turning my eldest son against us and now Sasuke's missing too!? And apparently they don't have enough hands to search for a missing child anymore, if he's a Uchiha! I had to bribe the mission's office to hire a _Genin_ team go look for _my own son_!"

His father paused, taking a breath. Sasuke didn't need to see them to know that his mother was probably standing beside him, trying to calm him down.

"We cannot let's this go," Fugaku continued. "We cannot take this lying down. What more will they do if we wait here and hide? I say we strike."

A stunned silence followed his words, stretching out for what seemed like minutes.

"Fugaku-sama, you can't seriously suggest that we continue with the rebellion!? You saw how trivially we were crushed!" One of his clan members asked.

"Better than staying here and waiting to starve, I'd say!" Another replied.

In moments, it was impossible to make out anything intelligible as the entire clan quickly descended into argument.

Sasuke took another deep breath and stood, lifting a hand to the door. If he wanted to succeed, now was the time.

Whether it was to save the Uchiha clan or bring it over to his side, he knew what he had to do.

So he opened the door.

In a flash, the clan fell silent, dozens of eyes riveting towards him. Trained ninjas, if now disabled, they were prepared both to attack and to defend, and more than one had drawn weapons.

"Sasuke!" His mother exclaimed, rising to rush over to him, but even as she wrapped her arms around him and he hugged her back, his eyes stayed focused on his father.

His father was the key, he knew. If the Uchiha clan was to be stopped, he had to convince his father that it needed to be. He didn't know how he could, but he had to if he was to keep his family safe.

And as the thoughts raced through his mind, it was like something was writhing in his heart, even as power, _his_ power, flowed through him. It changed him in its passing; forced him to change. Some things twisted and others writhed, breaking and reforming as he reshape himself as he looked at his father, before stilling once more in its new configuration.

And in that moment, he knew exactly what he needed to do…and he was prepared for it. To crush his father's goal and force through his own agenda was suddenly all that he wanted to do, even as the love he'd always felt for his father twisted and broken and started to look something almost like hate but just as much like love, and suddenly what he'd never seen was plain before his eyes.

_Oh, father, did you know?_ He thought._ There are cracks all over your soul._


	2. Chapter 1: The Cracks in Your Soul

**Twin Suns Burning**

**The Cracks in Your Soul**

"—Have you been!?" His mother finished and he realized only an instant had passed. Averting his eyes to her face, he could see the worry that had settled deep into her face; worry for him, for his father, for his clan. As much as he hated to see her that way, she had every right to be worried—the Uchiha clan was very much on the brink of destruction right now. His father could see no other path from here but to lead the Uchiha clan in rebellion and at least die in a blaze of glory, but if the clan was to survive, he had to find another way. He needed to find the right words to persuade his father and his clan where all others had failed.

_Who are you kidding? When has he ever listened to you? You're just a child; nothing you can say will ever reach him. He'd only ever listened to Itachi—to him, you are nothing but a spare and a pathetic excuse for one at that._

The thoughts bubbled up, dark and ugly and yet purely his; remembrances of his past, of how he was never good enough, how he would never _be_ good enough in his father's eyes. But he quashed the voice like it was nothing, because he no longer had any need for doubts. He wasn't that child anymore and things weren't the same and never would be again.

'_Itachi was always the favorite, Itachi was always the one you looked at, but did any of that buy you his loyalty, Father?_' A part of him mocked, something newborn and wicked and feeling nothing but hate for the man he still loved as his father. He embraced that part he had created, the part that wanted nothing more to crush his father's plans, crush this whole rebellion and laugh at them all, for that part had no doubts, no fears, nothing but spite and hate, and then he reached down for the power that was _his_.

The words came to his lips, smooth and easy and thoughtless, like he'd write a speech and practiced it again and again before a mirror.

"I'm sorry, mother," He said, tears gathering in his eyes, not quite ready to slip free and no more real than the anguish that seeped into his voice. "After he…I went after Itachi but he…"

He rubbed his eyes free of the crocodile tears before they could escape, his voice cracking. Taking a deep breath, he lifted his head at his father.

"I'm sorry, father. I couldn't beat him. I-I couldn't do anything…"

Mikoto exchanged a look with Fugaku, and in his father he could see, plain as day, the love he felt for his wife, in all the brilliant shades such a thing could exist in, and just as clearly felt it in himself, as if reflected in a mirror darkly, a hate as deep as his Father's love, and yet his own love for his mother stood untouched and proud, his own power twisting him about and stretching him tight between extremes.

Held in her arms, he wasn't sure whether to recoil or pull her tighter.

"Sasuke, come with me," His mother said, smiling. "I know this has been hard on you; you must be tired."

She tried to take his hand, then, but he slid a step back, just out of her reach, shaking his head.

"This has been hard on the entire clan, but compared to any of you, what Itachi did to me was nothing. He beat me unconscious and then left me in the streets, but he also left me whole. I have no right to complain…But I do have something to say." He stood up as straight as he could, looking past his mother to the man he loved and hated. "Father…no; _Fugaku-sama_, will you listen to what I have to say, as the heir of the Uchiha?"

The room filled with mutters at his words, the clan members taken aback by his boldness, but also realizing that, yes, with Itachi gone, there was only one heir left. When Itachi had been his age, he'd stood in this room when his father spoke, but Sasuke had to wonder if he'd ever spoken like this to their father when he was that young.

Mikoto placed a worried hand on his should, half ready to tug him back, but waiting for his father's reply.

"He is the heir of the clan," His father said, acknowledging his claim gruffly. "He has the right to speak, especially now."

It went unsaid, but everyone heard it nonetheless; his life was just as much on the line as any others. If they rebelled, even he would probably be cut down.

"You're going to continue," He stated, as if he hadn't been listening in. "You're still going to rebel. I understand that, Fugaku-sama; I may be a kid, but all I have to do is look around this room to see what they've taken from us. Turning Itachi against us, crippling us, and then leaving us here to die…they shouldn't be allowed to get away with that. But if we rebel, they _would_. They'd kill us all casually and get away with everything, painting whatever lie they want in our _blood_. But it doesn't have to be that way."

"If we wait, we'll die; whether from starvation or at the hands of our enemies," Fugaku argued calmly.

"I didn't say to wait, either; inaction is just as bad." Sasuke said, shaking his head. "But there is still a way out of this. I can protect the clan, I can get us food, and I can keep us alive, if you'll let me Fugaku-sama."

"How?" A clan member he didn't know asked, sounding interested and…hopeful?

"The Hokage can do it," Sasuke said. "Everyone knows of his kindness towards kids; I'll speak to him. I'll beg him on my hands and knees if I have to, Fugaku-sama."

At that, the entire room fell silent, as the shock of what he just said rippled through the room. His father's hands clinched into fists at his words, the Sharingan spinning to life in his eyes.

"It's possible," One of his cousins murmured, breaking the silence. "You know how he treats the demon brat—"

Fugaku whirled towards the speaker even as Sasuke's eyes flickered in confusion at the words.

"I will not have my son _beg_ at the feet of the man who did this to our clan!" He roared, forcing Sasuke to focus again. He had only a second to choose his words before speaking, but they came to him in a fraction of that, as natural as if he were breathing.

"Then what do you propose, father!?" He demanded. "I'm not only your son; I am the heir to this clan! It is my _duty_ to do _everything_ in my power to protect them! If all I have to do is beg and grovel to save you all, are you telling me to hesitate!? Look around you father! If we fight now, everyone in this room will _die_! You and mother will _die_! Do you think I want that!? Do you think my pride means _anything_ if it would keep that from happening!?"

Sasuke knew that the entire room was on his side now; even his father looked struck. He had the support of the entire clan, now; all he had to do was keep it.

"And what if you do?" Fugaku continued, unwilling to give up. "What if you do gain his protection? Is that how you want us to live? As pets to the Hokage, living at his will, being fed at his will, and being killed off right away if we ever act up? Is that how you want me to let my wife and son live!?"

That seemed like his cue, Sasuke mused.

As he spoke again, his Essence bled off, feeding his anima banner. A burning bonfire of bright green erupted around him, coming to life around his feet and rising above his head as his power rose and gave words to his intent.

"No, father; I want you to have faith. I want you to wait and think 'things will not always be this way' when you see me bowing at our enemies feet. I will restore our clan, father. I will grow powerful—make us powerful—and then things will be different. So let them insult us. Let them look down on us and mock us and hate us and think us weak—so much the better, if they do! No one thinks much of a spark…until it burns down a forest."

The whole of the clan looked at him in awe, then, as he was bathed in green light. His words moved through them, igniting hope, and they looked at him as he could remember being looked at long ago, before man ruled this world; like he was a god come to earth and not yet realizing or believing that they were seeing the birth of something much more.

He looked at his father again, bowing slowly.

"Fugaku-sama, I can save this clan. I can make it something more than it ever was, if you let me, but I need _time_. I need your _support_ and your _wisdom_ and your _faith_. Fugaku-sama…will you believe in your son?"

**XxXXxX**

Sarutobi Hiruzen puffed silently at his pipe as he looked at the boy in his office. He had to admit, he was surprised; not only had the Uchiha clan sent someone to see him, but it had been Fugaku's youngest son. He wasn't sure how to feel about that. Should he be happy that the Uchiha clan was finally willing to talk? Displeased that Fugaku had chosen to send their youngest member, rather than come himself?

Either way, it was obvious why Sasuke had come, rather than the head; it was an attempt to draw pity using the fact that he cared for the children of the village against him; worse, even aware of that, it was working. Looking at the young child whose entire family had been crippled at his word—and even if the ideas had been Danzo's and later Itachi's, it _had_ been his word—and who could easily have been orphaned in the same way, he couldn't help but be disgusted at himself. More than that, he knew the village would not treat the Uchiha kindly now; in a city like Konoha, treachery was not something easily forgive, much less forgotten.

He'd found the boy in the lobby of the Hokage Tower, simply waiting, after a messenger had come to get him. The secretary had refusing to let him go up, fearing treachery or, worse, an attempt on his life—and, to be fair, he himself had spent the last few days more or less expecting such a thing to come. Even now, he couldn't dismiss the possibility that Fugaku would try to use his son in such away; Itachi had already been a shinobi at Sasuke's age and his father had been more than fine with that.

Even so, he'd have been a hypocrite to throw the boy out for the potential danger he posed, after standing up for Naruto all these years.

"What can I help you with, Sasuke—" He wondered how he was supposed to refer to a child whose entire family he had crippled for life and stolen everything from before settling on the usual. "—kun?"

For his part, the boy didn't even react to the means of address, merely inclining his head.

"Thank you for seeing me, Hokage-sama," The boy said formally. "I'm aware it must be difficult to trust me, considering who I am."

Sarutobi furrowed his brow and said nothing. He thought of denying it, dismissed the thought instantly, and instead contemplated the boy. He wasn't what he'd expected of Itachi's little brother, from what little he knew of the boy, but he seemed aware enough of the situation that he didn't think there was any point in denying things that were obviously true.

"As you've probably guessed, I'm here on behalf of my clan. My father is…" The boy paused, looking for a diplomatic term for what they both knew was 'crippled, on your orders.' "…Still recovering, as are the men and women he would normal choose to replace him. As the clan heir, I will act in his steed. First of all…"

Without any hesitation or even a hint of shame, the boy fell to his knees and bowed low, putting his forehead to the ground.

"I would like to apologize on behalf of the Uchiha clan," The boy continued, staying bowed. "I am…not completely certain of all the details, but I know my clan has plotted against you and against Konoha. Though I have no right to request anything of you, I would like to ask for, if not your forgiveness, then for your mercy. My family has committed crimes against Konoha and has been defeated; I am here on their behalf to surrender in order to save as many lives as possible."

Sarutobi closed his eyes for a moment, forcing himself to think calmly and carefully. A child was bowing on his hands and knees, begging for mercy, not for himself but for his family—but he was Hokage and that had to come first. He opened his eyes and looked down at the child, still bowing at his feet. This was what he'd wanted of the Uchiha, but he could find no joy in it now. Still, he needed more information.

"Please raise your head, Uchiha-san," He said carefully, shaping his words. "And speak to me honestly. What brought you here, really? It wasn't your father, was it?"

The child stood and looked him in the eye, before surprising him again.

"Yesterday," Sasuke said. "My clan had a meeting. I stood at the door, listening while they talked. Do you know what they were talking about?"

Sarutobi could guess, but shook his head anyway.

"They were still considering rebelling. It was for different reasons now—because the doctors were considering throwing our family out of the hospital. Because the shops refuse to sell us food and supplies. Because of what we lost; arms and legs and pride and doesn't it boggle the mind that that last one matters at all?" Sasuke sighed, shaking his head as he glanced towards the window in his office. "My family isn't perfect; to be honest, they can be pretty stupid a lot of the time. But they _are_ my family. We both know what would have happened if they'd tried to rebel—they would have been crushed in a night and every last one of them would have died. Those that tried to run would have been hunted down. Those that tried to hide would have been found."

Sasuke looked at his hand, curling it slowly into a fist.

"It wasn't my place to say anything, but I did anyway. I opened the door and interrupted the clan meeting to stop my father. I asked him to let me beg you for mercy and bow at your feet, because my father's too proud to do that even if his life's on the line. He didn't want to let me do it, but I convinced him and the clan to let me." The heir of the Uchiha clan looked at him, then. "I'm here because I don't want my family to die and I can't see the value of pride if it would keep me from doing that."

Sarutobi inhaled deeply before sighing.

_I guess I really am soft around children, but…I can't ignore someone who says something like that._

"What are you proposing then, Uchiha-san?"

"I don't have the right to ask for much, so I won't. But please, let my family buy food. Let them buy medicine and supplies and what we need to survive. Let my cousins in the hospital heal and when my family has recovered enough, let us work in this village. Most of them can't serve as ninja, but we can still run shops and stalls. Can we do that here?"

Sarutobi nodded once. If things had gone as plan, food and supplies wouldn't have been a problem to begin with, but they were nothing major. Neither were opening shops and stalls in the market place. However…

"I have no problem with those," He said. "But if you open shops, I can't guarantee…"

Sasuke closed his eyes and nodded.

"I am well aware there might not be much business at a shop run by traitors." He said. "Even so, please let us try."

"Very well," Sarutobi said gravely. "I will inform the shopkeepers that you are still citizens of Konoha and allowed to buy whatever you can afford. I'll be sure the medic-nin remember that they are swore to heal any citizen or ninja in need, as well. No one will complain if you go through the normal channels to buy property and permits in the market, either."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Sasuke bowed low again, before pausing. "Also, Hokage-sama, there is one more thing, though it's purely personal."

Sarutobi hummed to show he was listening.

"You're probably aware that I am enrolled in the Academy, sir. Uh, um…" Here, the boy looked truly embarrassed. "May I continue to train to be a ninja of Konohagakure, Hokage-sama?"

Hiruzen heaved a long, low sigh. He should have expect that, though a part of him was a bit surprised the boy still wished to be a shinobi for the Village that had taken so much from him.

"The life of a shinobi is a hard one, Sasuke-kun," He said, thinking of the boy's older brother. "And with what has happened, it will be harder on you then most. I can't say people won't hold your family against you, Sasuke. Are you sure you wish to become a ninja?"

The boy nodded firmly.

"Then I have no objections to you trying."

"Thank you again, Hokage-sama." Sasuke said, smiling at him once before leaving quickly.

Sarutobi slid back into his chair as he watched the boy go, thinking.

As far as he could tell, the boy hadn't lied to him. He was doubtful he'd told him the _whole_ truth, since nobody ever seemed to, but he hadn't detected any outright lies. Still…the way he'd spoken definitely wasn't something he would have expected from such a young child. Well-spoken, polite, mature…words he'd never thought he'd ascribe to a boy only a bit older than his grandson, relatively speaking. He'd checked for disguises several times, in fact, though he hadn't found any.

He thought about the other heirs and the children their age; shy in some cases, rowdy in others. Some kind, some lazy, some extroverted, and some introverted and…not at all like the boy that had just been in his office.

_That boy,_ He thought. _He could become dangerous._

He'd have to keep an eye on Uchiha Sasuke.

**XxXXxX**

The next day, Sasuke walked through Konoha, just looking at it. And for the first time, with the added perspective of a millennia older man, he really, truly saw it.

It looked…worn.

Here, on the outskirts, a place his father had said had been subject to an invasion from…someone. Probably one of the other villages, but he didn't remember. Repairs had been made, but people had moved out of the neighborhood fearing other attacks and simply been slow to return after having made new lives for themselves elsewhere, leaving the area a bit run down. There, standing out in stark contrast, neat rows of new buildings besides old ones, where the Kyuubi had left its mark. Scattered throughout the city, individual locations that had been damaged in the war; they had probably been important once, hidden headquarters or gathering spots or meeting places—things that had lost all value the moment the enemy had learnt about them and been swiftly abandoned after being attacked. The rubble and debris had long since been cleared away, but that had done nothing but leave empty lots to stand out like missing teeth.

Konohagakure was in trouble right now, he knew. A Great War every twenty years for almost a century, plus smaller conflicts scattered like breadcrumbs, the most recent of which was just barely over, in the grand scheme of things. The Kyuubi attack that had killed so many shinobi, including the Fourth, the strongest and most recognized shinobi they'd had in a long time, important both as a symbol and a leader. Then the kidnapping of—he struggled for a name but couldn't remember it—the Hyuuga girl, and the way Kumo had walked all over them politically and how Konoha had been forced to submit to unreasonable demands while recovering from the Kyuubi.

And now the Uchiha clan; another loss Konoha could ill afford. With the police force that defended the village proper gone, more resources would need to be devoted to protecting the village, which meant less people doing missions and earning money. Over a hundred shinobi out of action, on top of that, and dissent erupting in the village…

—Really, what had his father been thinking? He could see why he'd chosen to strike now, with Konoha being so weakened, but…even if he'd been successful, how had he intended to hold onto it? Dissent from the other clans on the inside, the other villages which would no doubt eagerly take advantage of their plight on the outside, plus all the people that would have died in the coup and inevitable rebellions…Konoha wouldn't have lasted a year.

Sasuke sighed slowly, looking down at his hands. It was funny how he was thinking about things like this now—and kind of scary, as well. How he had not only changed so much in a week, but how it was so obvious that even he could tell. Thoughts came to his mind effortlessly now, just as the right words to say always seemed to come to his mouth, and he could look back to how he acted and thought a week ago and feel like he was looking at a different person.

How many times had he walked by these buildings and never seen the marks war had left on them? How many times had his father, mother, brother, and even teachers told him about battles and attacks and he'd never made the connection? Never seen the shifts in expression or eyes when people lied, the quick glances between two people that cared for one another, the words that held weight and implication because something had been going on? He'd lived in a house right on top of the biggest rebellion in years and had no idea, but now it was so obvious he wondered how they'd ever expected to keep it hidden.

It was three in the morning and dark as night could be, but he could see things as clearly as if it were daylight. He hadn't slept since he'd awoken more than a day before, yet he felt no need to sleep, and with the surging power rushing through his veins, he wasn't sure he'd have been able to even if he'd felt tried. When he'd left the Hokage's office and spoken to his clan again, smothering the fires of rebellion and fulfilling both his goal and the one that had been given to him by the sources of his new found power, he'd felt that energy swell deep inside him, growing until he thought it would burst his blood vessels and force its way through his skin right then and there. When he'd felt the elation of his success, he'd thought he'd start shining like the sun, and even now, he could still feel that might flowing like blood beneath his skin and was half surprising he couldn't see green light running through the veins on his hands and wrist.

He took another deep breath and exhaled slowly, closing his eyes and feeling the still night air on his skin.

He'd succeed in his first task and just as quickly been given another one, but he supposed that if that was the only price for this power, it was a fair enough deal. So far, all the tasks were in line with what he'd intended to do anyway, so he was quite lucky, all things considered. In a single day, he'd saved his entire family—for giving him what he needed to do that, he was grateful to them.

The woman from before, the one who'd exploded, he could still hear her, sometimes, giving him his orders. He guessed she was their spokesperson even now, but she stayed silent except to give useful advice and point out things he nearly missed, so he was fine with that, too, even if his head was starting to feel just a little bit crowded. It wasn't much to pay, for the lives of his family or for the power he had been given.

So why was it so hard to shake away the memories? He knew the faces of every Yozi, even though he'd never seen them face to face. He'd seen their King broken and torn apart, forged into a prison with which to entrap his brethren. He'd seen the corpses of the ones that had died and heard the screams of those that had been transformed against their will. He remembered a Lidless Eye that had closed in despair and a burning river that had evaporated into madness, and witnessed those who could not be killed die. He remembered that War from the side of the victors and couldn't help but wonder.

It doesn't matter, he tried to tell himself, but it felt hollow. If it didn't matter, why couldn't he forget it?

So instead he told himself that he had no reason to be disloyal. They had done him a favor and given him more than anyone ever had; in return, for now he would give them his respect and his loyalty.

He sighed, and tried his best to put the memories out of his mind. It was still hours before the Academy started, but he chose to look ahead towards the future rather than back into the past and kept walking. He wondered what the Academy would be like, now that his family was branded traitors and he wondered what he'd see through his new eyes—but whatever he found, he wasn't worried. Whatever it held, he would face and that was that.

So he looked towards the future fearlessly and told himself he wasn't scared of the past.


	3. Chapter 2: New Day Dawning

**Twin Suns Burning**

**New Day Dawning**

A week ago, he was the most popular kid in school.

It was almost funny how quickly things changed.

Sasuke looked around as he walked through the gates of the Academy. It was still awhile before class began, but most of the students were here already. They'd all broken up into their usual groups, like a normal school. Granted, most of the groups were defined by things like whether you were better with kunai or taijutsu rather than more civilian things, but still. He noticed, however, that their conversations fell silent as he came into sight.

He felt a rueful smile grow on his face at the attention. He'd never really been part of any of the groups, but mainly because groups had tended to form around him, usually composed of girls who thought he was cute. But it seemed something like that didn't hold up well against the mark of treachery.

It didn't really matter. A week ago, he hadn't been interested in prepubescent girls, because he'd mainly just found them all annoying. Now, with the memories of wives and lovers swimming around in his head, he _especially_ wasn't interested in prepubescent girls. Most of the boys had hated him before anyway, for doing better than them or drawing too much attention, so there was no big change on that end.

Besides, if he wanted, he had ways to make friends, now. But most of them didn't look like they would even be worth it, so he continued walking under the weight of their watching eyes and assumed a position by the door.

Leaning back against it, he looked around picking out familiar faces one by one and making connections that had simply never occurred to him before.

Here, Yamanaka Ino, daughter of Yamanaka Inoichi and future head of the clan. He'd heard members of his family speak of the Yamanaka clan as being closely associated with the Intelligence Division, which the Police Force itself had been closely affiliated with. There, eating a bag of potato chips, he saw Akimichi Choji, slated to eventually become the sixteenth head of his clan, standing beside his friend, Nara Shikimaru, who would eventually do the same for his own clan as the son of Nara Shikaku. Funny; even though he'd always known their names, he'd never connected them to the famous Ino-Shika-Cho trio. Their fathers were all Jounin, unless he was mistaken and famous ones at that.

Turning his gaze to a group of boys that had either been playing or fighting before he'd arrived, he recognized the dirtied face of one of them. He'd always thought Kiba had been a bit stupid the way he'd skipped class and got into fights with people bigger than him, but looking at the tiny dog by his feet, he made a connection. The Inuzuka clan was famous for using Ninken and the current head, Inuzuka Tsume, had a son; he was willing to bet that was Kiba. Further away, having apparently been watching the fight, was the quiet boy from the Aburame clan. He couldn't remember anything else about him, or even his name, but he definitely remembered the Aburame being a clan of Konoha. He might even be the heir, since his class seemed to be a gathering place for them.

Speaking of which, where was she…

He slowly looked around the area, glancing at each face and looking for one in particular.

There. Quiet and small, the girl at the edge of the field was so good at not drawing attention to herself that he didn't even know her name. In fact, he only knew she was a Hyuuga because of her distinctive white eyes. Was this the girl who'd nearly been kidnapped a few years ago? He really should have tried to learn more about his classmates, but two weeks ago it hadn't been something he'd given any thought to.

But still, he was lucky. The members of six of Konoha's clans were in his class—seven, he supposed, counting himself. Someday, at least three of them would be the leaders of their clans and maybe more. He didn't know if it was fate or just luck, but…this was a great place to make allies; the friends he made here could stay with him for years to come. When he was the head of the Uchiha clan, that would be valuable beyond words.

Sure, he was branded as a traitor now, but that didn't matter; he had years to make friends and he knew it wouldn't take him that long to change opinions. He'd need excuses for why he was suddenly approaching them, but given the way people were avoiding him now, he could probably just pretended he was lonely and wanted some friends. Given a few years, he could cultivate bonds and connections that would be remembered—if nothing else, he could probably get most of them to see the potential benefits of having a clan heir as their friend. Maybe he could even offer to assist them with whatever they were having trouble with at the Academy? He'd need to pay attention to what they were and were not good at, but a few days of watching quietly should be enough to figure that out.

And maybe he could find allies even beyond that. He'd have to look at who was enrolled here, but a lot of people enrolled their kids in the Academy, due to the potential profit and prestige associated with having a ninja in your family—there were bound to be at least a few children enrolled who were the sons and daughters of powerful civilian families; children that would grow up to be powerful themselves, one day. Not everyone here would be able to become, or want to remain, a ninja, but there were other forms of power that he could take advantage of.

Sarutobi may have been too kind, letting him stay enrolled. In fact, he may have made a mistake. For the next few years, he'd be here, among Konoha's children. Among its future clan leaders and businessmen and ninja, helping them and befriending them as they learned more and grew stronger.

This little field and these children were the future of Konohagakure—and he was among them, like a fox in the henhouse.

Yes, he thought to himself, I think I'm going to like it here.

**XxXXxX**

To be honest, Uchiha Sasuke was starting to piss Naruto off.

Well, to be honest, he'd always pissed Naruto off. He had been better at pissing Naruto off than anyone else ever. He'd constantly done better at…well, everything, had always been the one Sakura-chan focused on, and was always the one everyone had wanted to play with, hang out with, and get to know. So yeah, he'd thought Sasuke was a master at pissing him off before.

But he'd been wrong. Before, Sasuke had been like…like an Academy Student at pissing him off.

Now he was like the _Kage_ of the Village Hidden in Pissing Naruto Off.

Two weeks ago, that…thing had happened to Sasuke's family. He wasn't really sure exactly what, but they were traitors now—and even he knew that was a really big deal. The day he'd come back to the Academy after being gone for, like, a week, Sasuke's popularity had basically evaporated.

Hell, even Sakura-chan and Ino, who'd gotten into a fight over him and stop being friends or something, had basically decided to forget about him and make up or something. Or at least, they hadn't chased him around anymore or fought and they'd been eating lunch with each other lately. He couldn't be sure; he'd tried asking Sakura-chan if she was over him and wanted to play with him after school, but she'd got embarrassed, looked around nervously like she was worried people were listening and told him to shut up and when he'd asked what that meant, they'd gotten into a fight over…he wasn't sure about that either, but it had ended with Ino coming to Sakura's rescue—from what, he did not know—by punching him in the face.

He shot a dark look at Ino. She hadn't even apologized or told him why or nothing. He'd gotten beaten up by a girl and he didn't even know why!

But then, there was a lot of stuff he didn't get. Like how all that had changed again within just a few weeks.

Yeah, okay, for the first day, he'd thought it was pretty awesome. He hadn't really wanted anything bad to happen to Sasuke or anything, but for just one day he hadn't been the least popular kid school any more. When they'd divided into teams for Survival Training and stuff, he hadn't been the last one chosen and at lunch when Sasuke had been looking for an empty seat and had spotted one by Tarou and his friends, Tarou had grabbed him and pushed him into the spot before Sasuke had gotten halfway there. The teachers had stopped asking Naruto questions that he didn't know the answers to and had made Sasuke answer instead—though granted, that bastard seemed to know all the answers.

But after the day was over and he was eating ramen for dinner, he'd started to feel bad. That had been him, a few days before. He'd been the one they'd treated badly before Sasuke's family did whatever they did—he knew what it was like. And it wasn't fun.

He'd decided that the next day, he'd go over to Sasuke and help him out, like he'd always told himself he'd do if he saw someone in that situation. And he'd been going too! Until, well, Haruto showed up.

Haruto was the biggest bully in the Academy. Literally. Naruto had sworn to Iruka-sensei that he was an adult sneaking in to make them all miserable so they'd grow up to be horrible old men like him, but Iruka-sensei had told him he'd just hit his growth spurt early and that he should shut up and stop being an idiot. But still, he was, like, twice the size of everyone in Naruto's class! And he'd been going towards Sasuke, seeing an easy target to beat up without getting in trouble, and…

And Sasuke had just talked to him. Or that was what it had looked like, but he knew there had to be more, because you didn't just talk to Haruto; Naruto had tried. Granted, he may have insulted the guy a few times, but that was because Haruto was an _asshole_. But other people had talked to him too and been nice, like Sakura-chan, but it hadn't worked for her, until Ino showed up and punched him and the teachers came over to break up the fight.

So he was sure Sasuke had bribed him or blackmailed him or shot him with his magic hypno-beams, because he'd talked and Haruto had _listened_. He'd been about to beat Sasuke up, but instead he'd just listened and, after a while, chatted back. By the end of the day, they were friends. By the end of the next, everyone knew that picking on Sasuke meant Haruto's fist in your face.

And then Sasuke had continued making _friends_. And people had just _accepted_ him, even though they'd disliked him more then they'd ever disliked Naruto and none of them had _ever_ let him become their friends. He'd just walked over to Ino and Sakura-chan who'd totally gotten over him and didn't like him at all anymore, except, oh wait, _yes they did_. Twenty minutes later and they were his biggest fans again and Sasuke was awesome and amazing and could do no wrong and when he'd insulted him in front of them, which had actually gotten a laugh from them the day before, Ino had yelled at him and punched him _again_.

And then Ino had introduced him to Choji or something and the next day Sasuke brought an extra bag of chips with his lunch and had given it to him, and that apparently meant that they were bestest best friends forever in Choji's eyes. Choji had introduced him to Shikamaru who'd been his boring self until Sasuke conjured a Shogi board out of nowhere after class and Shikamaru just accepted the guy after playing with him a few times and actually paid attention to him, only _Shikamaru didn't do that. _

_Ever. _

_To anyone or thing. _Much less over a stupid board game—Naruto couldn't imagine Shikamaru liking something like that when he obviously had no sense of what fun was to begin with; every time Iruka-sensei would let them play games or practice the cool stuff, he just sighed and said it was troublesome. And a board game he found fun?

The next day, they were all walking around as part of Sasuke's group and Kiba had walked by and Sasuke must have been hungry or something because he must have eaten Kiba's _brain_ at some point, cause at the end of the day, while Sasuke was playing Shogi with Shikamaru and talking about girl stuff with the girls and food stuff with Choji, Kiba was just sort of hanging around with them, talking about guy stuff and Akamaru had nuzzled Sasuke's hand and he'd given him a dog treat he'd produced from goddamn nowhere.

The next day, Shino was there talking about bugs and how to be a good ninja and being prepared and Sasuke was talking back in whatever language Shino talked in, because of course he knew about that stuff, like he knew about everything else that anyone was interested in! And two days later, there was a white-eyed girl with them, who he _swore_ he'd never seen before but who was in their class, apparently, and she'd stuttered a lot and been nervous, but Sakura-chan and Ino had been joking with her like they were best friends and the boys had listened when she stuttered and Sasuke translated. Naruto was pretty sure she hadn't actually existed before and Sasuke had just hypnotized everyone into thinking they knew her as part of some horrible scheme to take over the world.

By the end of the week, Sasuke was the popular kid again and his group was the popular group and everyone who'd thought badly about him a few days before had either changed their mind or shut up about it. The teacher's had decided they loved him and they were sure he'd be the bestest most loyal ninja ever and it was so sad that he was getting mistreated because he happened to be related to some traitors, he was a good kid, really. Suddenly, he wasn't the last person chosen on teams—he was the guy picking people to be on his, and everyone wanted to be on it, because he always won, just like he always answered any question the teachers tossed at him, and knew the solution to every problem anyone in the Academy had no matter what it was.

People had liked Sasuke before.

People adored him now. It was like he knew exactly what they were interested in and what to say to them or something even though there was no way he could know any of that. More likely, he'd brain washed them into liking whatever he wanted to talk about that day—because serious, Shikamaru and board games? They weren't even _fun_ board games! There was black magic at work here or something and everyone had fallen under Sasuke's evil spell of friendship.

Except for him, of course. He was gonna talk to him the moment class was over and _demand_ to know how he did that and how he made everyone like him and acknowledge him.

And maybe if he gave lessons or something.

**XxXXxX**

"Hm?" Kakashi lifted an eyebrow as he noticed his fellow shinobi. "Ah, and how are you today, Itachi?"

"Hn."

"Oh, fine, fine, everything's fine; thanks for asking. I managed to get to Atsuki's in time for breakfast, which was great, of course." Kakashi prattled on, pretending he was having a conversation with a human being. Itachi had become increasingly withdrawn since the Uchiha had been purged from Konoha's ranks, probably because he simply didn't have anyone _too_ really interact with, currently. He'd been shifted off of active duty, supposedly as a reward for outstanding service for the sake of Konoha, but which everyone was pretty sure was to give the professional's time to finish their psych evals.

Which, Kakashi thought as his eye drifted to the dark bags that marred Itachi's face, was probably a good idea.

Leaving him alone to stew in his emotions and mistakes for weeks, however, was not, so Kakashi—who'd learnt that lesson both from his father and his own experiences—had basically been checking up on him daily to make sure he didn't do anything stupid.

Kakashi slid into the seat beside his younger friend and glanced around. Kyou's place was one of a number of places that Shinobi gathered while off duty. It had a name, supposedly, but the sign on the door had been torn away before he'd first come here, before the war. Back then, it had been Mami's place, before she'd passed it to her son. Supposedly, it'd been in the family since Konoha had been founded; at the very least, his sensei had recognized it from when _he'd_ been a kid.

The Ino-Shika-Cho trio was here, but then, it was before five o'clock and none of the other places they usually hung out at when they all had free time were open. There were several Chunin around and there'd be more soon, after the Academy let out and everyone who had been dumb enough to want to teach the next generation—and insane enough not to quit once they'd realized their horrible mistake—would rush in here until they could go somewhere to drink.

Kakashi snorted. Poor bastards. He was sure one of these days karma would catch up to him and some horrid Genin team would pass his tests and his life would be over, but until then, he was happy to be sane. Well, sane-ish.

He also spotted a few people he recognized from ANBU, but technical he wasn't supposed to recognize them even though everyone knew he was still close to ANBU, so he ignored them.

Finishing his scan, he turned back to Itachi.

"I heard the Uchiha are doing okay," He said, shifting to the only conversation likely to get a quick response.

Itachi's eyes flickered over to him, showing his attention.

"Apparently, someone met with the Hokage and convinced him to let them buy whatever they needed from the village. The medic-nin all suddenly realized that the Uchiha needed a checkup and recalled most of them to the Hospital, too."

Itachi looked at him, bored. Kakashi wasn't surprised he'd heard all this before. Hell, Itachi had probably been watching his crippled family like a hawk whenever he wasn't working; maybe that was why he had such deep bags under his eyes.

"I got kind of curious which one had finally spoken with the Hokage, but Sarutobi wouldn't say when I asked him," Kakashi continued, shaking his head, before pausing dramatically. "His secretary, however, did."

"My father," Itachi stated, sighing. "He probably asked the Hokage not to mention his name."

"That's what I'd expected," Kakashi agreed cheerfully. "I'm glad to know I wasn't the only one wrong."

Itachi's glazed snapped towards him again at that, surprise flickering through them before being smoothed away.

"Then who…?"

"The secretary mentioned a little boy from the Uchiha clan had come to speak to the Hokage and had eventually been allowed to. She didn't know his name, but she stated he was seven or eight and had said he wished to speak to the Hokage as the heir of the Uchiha clan." Kakashi scratched his chin through his mask and sighed in faux confusion. "Who could it have been I wonder?"

Itachi clinched his hands into fists, anger sparking to life behind his calm façade.

"Of course," He all but spat. "Everyone knows Hokage-sama cares for the children of the village; using one to draw his pity is an obvious tactic. I should have expected as much from my father. So this is what I've reduced Sasuke to, is it? A political tool for the Uchiha clan."

Itachi looked about ready to turn into a ball of teenage angst and rage—which would have been fun to see if he wasn't so good with pointy objects. Not that Kakashi could really blame him; he'd put most of his hopes on a plan Danzo had crushed with a word and now his little brother, who he'd done it for, was paying the price. When Kakashi had found out, he'd been upset for his friend, imagining it. An arranged marriage for political reasons, forced to work and succeed for the sake of his clan, and being used as a tool for the rest of his…hardly a fate anyone would want to force upon one's brother.

Still, someone should probably waylay him before he got angry enough to do something about it.

"A ninja shouldn't jump to conclusions, Itachi." He chided softly. "After I spoke to the secretary, I went and talked to the Hokage again. Since I'm such an awesome and respected guy, and because I mentioned how important this would be too you, he said a few things."

Kakashi lowered his voice a bit, not to hide what he was saying, but to make Itachi unconsciously listen closer—the funny thing about ninja was that they tended to listen more closely the quieter something was, something that had been hammered into them before they'd even become genin.

Academy training; gotta love it.

"Apparently, it was the kid's idea. Your father was opposed to it, but the kid convinced him to let him speak to the Hokage. Apparently, your little brother's taken to the role of clan heir pretty quickly. Sarutobi said he was pretty well spoken—and he said we should keep an eye on him."

Itachi clinched his hands further before relaxing them, a mask of calm coming over him again as he turned to Kakashi, opening his mouth.

"—Oh, hey, it's Itachi!" Inoichi had apparently decided their conversation had reached a point where interrupting would be as annoying as possible and came over as if he'd only just noticed them. Kakashi didn't believe it for a second; Inoichi had been doing this for _decades_.

The Head of the Yamanaka clan into the seat next to Itachi, smiling his nice, friendly 'I'm totally not one of the top ninjas in Interrogation—honest' smile.

"Hey Itachi, I'm starting to get a little worried about that little brother of yours; my daughter's been going on about him like she's gonna marry him or something," He said, shaking his head ruefully. "If he stops by my house and I kick him over the Hokage Monument, how badly will you hurt me?"

"Badly," Itachi said blandly, before quirking an eyebrow. "I'm surprised your daughter's still interested."

It didn't sound like a question, but Kakashi heard the demand for more information loud and clear.

Inoichi probably did too, but Inoichi was an ass.

"My poor little baby girl," He said, brushing away fake tears. "Already being led around by pretty faces. Before I know it, I'll be waiting for her to come home, polishing my katana for some boy. On the bright side, I can always make little Shikamaru and Choji look out for her—they're good kids. At least she's made up with that nice friend of hers. You know, it was your little brother who broke up their friendship. He's what, seven? And already practicing to be a home-wreaker—shit; I'm gonna have my hands full aren't I?"

"Your daughters a kind girl, to still care about someone who everyone else has labeled a traitor," Itachi said, trying to steer things back to what he cared about.

"Yeah, she's a great girl," Inoichi nodded proudly, steadfastly avoiding it. "But if she grows up to look like her mother, I'll have my hands full beating off boys."

He fell silent then, looking at Itachi with a smile, waiting.

Itachi exhaled slowly.

"So, about my brother and your daughter," He began.

"Oh!" Inoichi exclaimed. "I didn't realize you were interested. Sorry; dumb blonde moment. Yeah, she actually said she was over him for a while, but then they kissed and made up, I suppose."

Inoichi's expression hardened.

"There better not have been any _actual_ kissing involved, Itachi, or he is dead," He said, the hardened interrogator and protective father shining through for a moment before being subsumed by blondeness and dumbness. "But your brother's been making a lot of friends, Itachi; he's managed to make quite an impression. Most of his class has gotten over that whole 'he's a traitor' thing; why, you should see them! Every day now, I go to pick up my baby girl and there she is with her new group."

He paused, looked at Itachi for a long moment.

"You really should go see, one of these days."

"Maybe I'll do that," Itachi said, getting the message loud and clear. "I haven't seen my little brother in a while; maybe I should check up on him."

"You do that," Inoichi stood. "Oh, and by the way, your family's opened up a shop in the market district. A lot of people didn't want anything to do with it, but they gave out free samples for a day and now they're practically swamped. I'm not sure I sure I see the appeal in what their selling, but who am I too judge if other people enjoy it?"

"Oh? Itachi wondered. "And what are they selling?"

"They call them Candied Locusts," Inoichi said, wrinkling his nose. "Supposedly, they look disgusting but taste good. I'll take their word for it. Have a nice day, Itachi. You too, Kakashi. I'll see you around."

Kakashi waved at his back while Itachi stared. After a moment, the younger ninja turned his eyes towards the elder in question.

"Inoichi can be annoying, but what he says is always useful." Kakashi confirmed. "Want to swing by the school to check on your little brother? Afterwards, I'll treat you to a snack."

"Hn."

**XxXXxX**

Sasuke finished eating the candied locusts he'd brought with him for lunch, leaning back with a sigh of self-satisfaction.

The locusts were a new…not invention, since he'd known it was possible from his distant memories of the Endless Desert, but he hadn't been sure _he_ could do it. In fact, he wasn't sure what he could, period—being a…whatever he was now was certainly different from being a Solar. While he was quite familiar with the extent of Solar might and what they could grow up to become, he hadn't the slightest idea what he would look like in a thousand years.

Well, he thought, smiling ruefully. If he lived that long—and who could say if he would, in this new world? He'd spent weeks trying to reconcile the world he'd known in his, he guessed there was no better word for it, past life and the world he saw around him now, and it was all but impossible. The Deliberative was long gone, he was sure, but considering what he remembered from the moments before his death, that wasn't all that surprising. Considering who had given him his Exaltation, however, he was fairly certain that Malfeas was doing fine and the rest of the Yozi and Demons with him. Was Yu-Shan still there after all these years? He'd have to check at some point, though finding a Celestial Gate was sure to be a pain. Or perhaps he could find a god or elemental to ask, though he hadn't seen any yet, which was both odd and worrying.

And he couldn't help but wonder. All this…what could have happened? Hell, how long had he even been gone? It suddenly struck him that he didn't know—with so much having changed, it having been thousands of years was a distinct possibility. And the cause…this couldn't all have been because of the destruction of the Deliberative, could it? The First Age had been built to rely on them in a thousand different ways, but could it all have fallen apart this much with their deaths? No, it couldn't be _just_ their deaths; most likely it had been many different things, though their deaths had likely been the trigger. But what kind of things could have caused this? And how was it that he had been gone so long? Or had he been gone at all? He remembered his first incarnation, but nothing else—he'd assumed that meant there hadn't been any other incarnations, but perhaps it was just that he didn't remember the others? But if he and the others had been present, how could they have failed the world this much?

The only place he was likely to find answers was in the Demon City but he didn't want to go to hell quite yet. Partially because he'd have to be gone for at least ten days just to get there and back, an absence that would surely be noticed, but also because he wanted to avoid the Yozi for the time being. They hadn't exactly been on good terms before; if any of them realized who he had been…

Well, he didn't want that to happen, if he could avoid it.

"Oi, you bastard!" Someone shouted, but he ignored it, still lost in thought.

Pulling his mind away from the past and future, he focused his mind on the present. The Candied Locusts were useful and that was enough for now, regardless of whether it meant he was using Cecelyne's Charms or not. It provided an easy to access food source, as well as a chance to make a profit. He'd already had several members of his clan set up shop and business was doing well and the hatred towards the Uchiha clan was easing, bit by bit.

As for the Academy, making friends had been easy enough. Perhaps in a few decades, men and women would look back to these events and applauded his strategic brilliance or something, but in reality, it really wasn't anything like that. Most of them weren't even old enough to truly grasp what being a traitor meant; they were just reacting to what their parents thought. In the end, whether they were being trained to become a shinobi or not, the simple fact of the matter was that he was in a classroom full of seven year old children—becoming friends with them really wasn't that difficult. He didn't need Charms, he didn't need bribes, he didn't need anything like that to make seven year olds like him; primarily, he just needed to act friendly, helpful, and share similar interests.

That was about all he was able to do at this point—be nice, help out, and be likable—but it was easy enough, if somewhat boring. Convincing the girls that he hadn't known anything about the attempted coup had been simple, especially since it was actually true. From there, a few questions and a bit of observation had been all it'd taken to learn more about Choji and Shikamaru, and befriending both had been fairly trivial; he'd fed and played games with them on a daily basis, respectively, and that was that. Kiba and Shino had been a bit harder to convince, but they were just seven year-olds and it hadn't taken much effort to figure out what they liked and learn more about them. The Hyuuga girl, Hinata, had been meek and shy enough that she'd basically just went along with him when he asked her if she'd like to spend time with them, though she seemed to enjoy herself in her own quiet way.

All and all, not to hard a task for someone who'd had many, many children of his own, if in another life. Honestly, given how much time could have passed since then, his former self might well be the ancestor of most of them; that was kind of an amusing thought.

Still, it was nothing but a friendship. A bunch of kids growing a bit attached to their nice classmate and hanging out after school—useful, to be sure, but lots of people have friends as children that they never spoke to as adults. He'd need to stay on good terms with them all and do more than talk, feed, and play with them.

But that could wait; he had four years until he reached the average age of graduation. He didn't need to rush, even if classes were boringly simple now.

"Oi, hey! Stop ignoring me, you bastard!" A young boy with blonde hair shoved his arm, making him blink and look up. He recognized him, though it was kind of hard not to, given his usual loudness.

"Ah, Naruto, I didn't realize you were talking to me," He said, sitting up straight. "…Or rather, while are you calling me 'bastard?'"

"Because you were ignoring me, you bastard!"

_You were calling me a bastard to begin with_, Sasuke thought about pointing out, but realized that would probably get him into an argument with a seven year old and just smiled instead.

"Sorry about that, then," He said, shrugged. As insults went, he'd been called way, way worse, even in this life. "Did you need something from me, Naruto?"

He searched his mind for what he remembered about Naruto, which wasn't much. He was kind of loud, most people didn't like him, he was an orphan, and…had he seen him eating ramen a lot? Also, he'd seen Hinata watching the boy a few times; she might have a crush on him. Beyond that, he'd honestly never paid much attention to him, before or after his Second Breath.

Naruto paused, as if he wasn't sure how to explain why he was here, before shaking his head.

"How come everyone being all nice to you all of a sudden?"

Sasuke blinked once before shrugging, not surprised someone had noticed that and not particularly bothered by it, either.

"I guess I'm just good at making friends," He said, before remember that Naruto was usually alone. "You can hang out with us too, if you want."

_That'll make Hinata happy,_ he supposed. He'd brought Sakura along with Ino because they were friends and this was pretty much the same thing as that, he guessed. Also, it was easier than getting into an argument. Parenthood had long since taught him that you didn't get anything but a headache for winning an argument with a child and that happy children were the second best type of children—the best, of course, being sleeping children. Besides which, there really was no point in making enemies where he didn't have to, was there? You never knew how things might turn out, after all; one day, Naruto could be a powerful ninja all his own.

Naruto halted, blinking at him as he waylaid his argument.

"Um," Naruto said, uncertainly. "…Really?"

"Yeah, sure," Sasuke shrugged, his thoughts already starting to wander. He wondered what he'd have for dinner tonight and nearly smacked himself; they'd have the same thing they had every night: A swarm of delicious demon locusts.

"Then I'll…see you tomorrow, I guess?" Naruto said, still looking a little confused as to where this conversation had gone.

"See ya tomorrow, Naruto." He replied, waving casually as he dismissed the boy.

Sasuke looked after him as he left, still bored. After a moment, he remembered that he should probably check him like he had the others. Most of the kids in his group hadn't even learned how you use Essence yet, though Hinata was a pleasant surprise, though she _was_ a Hyuuga, after all. Still, who knows?

Narrowing his eyes at Naruto's back, he reached out, his Essence like grasping claws reaching for the boy and grabbing him tight—

Sasuke leaned away from Naruto, taken aback by what he'd learned.

"—The hell?" He murmured.

He did it again, but the results were the same. He measured Naruto's Essence, compared it to his own, noted the aspect of it, and they were all the same as before.

_What the fuck is this bullshit?_ He thought, stunned confusion giving way to anger. _I feel like someone's left me out on some __**vitally important information.**_

But then anger gave way to wary caution. He wasn't afraid of Naruto—not yet, at least—but only because if he was dangerous, somebody would have died by now. Or maybe they had? No; somebody would have noticed and not acted like nothing was wrong when he sat in class with a bunch of children. At least, he sincerely _hoped_ somebody would have noticed. At the very least, Naruto hadn't acted aggressively towards anyone, that he'd seen.

Still, all things changed in time. If Naruto was as strong as he thought, he could be a very useful friend or utterly horrifically enemy. He wasn't even a shadow of his former self, at the moment—if the entirety of that power was turned against him, he'd surely die.

And yet, Naruto was the dead-last of their class, despite that power? Was he an undercover agent or something…? He'd have to be a pretty sloppy undercover agent to not even cover that enormous power of his; surely someone would have noticed it by now. And would someone undercover act out as much as Naruto did? Or was acting out part of his cover?

Sasuke shook his head; he'd need to learn more before drawing any conclusions.

And also, stay on good terms with the chakra monster running around.

"Hey, Naruto; wait a second!" He lifted his voice, shouting at the blonde. "You like ramen, right?"

**XxXXxX**


End file.
